A look at the Defence news 31 May - 5 June

News item | 07-06-2017 | 14:55

"Brunssum has made a remarkable contribution to the lives of us all. I am convinced it will continue to do so in the future." Minister of Defence Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert spoke these words in Brunssum in southern Limburg to underline the importance of NATO’s Allied Joint Force Command headquarters. The headquarters was established on 1 June 1967 as one of the three operational headquarters of NATO forces in Europe. On 31 May, the 50-year anniversary of the headquarters was celebrated in the presence of King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands.

Extra Marechaussee personnel for border control

The government has decided to allocate the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee (RNLM) an extra € 20 million euros on a structural basis. The extra funding is intended for the deployment of approximately 200 extra RNLM personnel for border control duties at airports and seaports over the coming years. “By allocating this extra funding, we are investing in the security of the Netherlands”, remarked Minister Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert. According to the Netherlands Minister for Migration Klaas Dijkhoff, the RNLM plays an indispensable role in fighting illegal migration and people smuggling.

German general decorated for driving German-Dutch cooperation

Today, the German Chief of Defence General Volker Wieker was decorated for his unremitting efforts regarding military cooperation between the Dutch and German armed forces. After being nominated by General Tom Middendorp, his Dutch counterpart, General Wieker was appointed Grand Officer in the Order of Oranje-Nassau with Swords. Prime Minister Mark Rutte presented the important decoration at the Ministry of General Affairs.

Marines get to work in Romania

On 3 June, more than 200 marines arrived in Romania to take part in Exercise Noble Jump, a large-scale NATO exercise. Together with 4,000 military personnel from nations including the United Kingdom, Spain, Albania and Romania, they will undertake training to improve the effectiveness of the Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF), which is NATO’s spearhead force. The VJTF is the most rapidly deployable part of NATO’s rapid response force and is able to enter a crisis area within a few days.